Stars
by drunkdragon
Summary: Through a slip of fate, a slip occurs and now I'm in a slippery situation.


Hello again. Got another story for you readers out there. Hopefully I didn't make you wait too long, but there's this interesting side-story I'm working on and I really, really want to work on it.

This time, this Haruhi fic it's a bit different than usual but worry not for it still holds true to the series. My beta didn't really give send me a reply about probably because of distractions, although I don't really blame him; we were trying to fool a friend. I tried to catch and fix errors as best as I could but I'm sure that there must be some that slipped by. Anyway, more footnotes at the bottom.

I do not own The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi.

Onward!

* * *

Perhaps I should explain why I am in the hospital. I rarely pass by the one in my district for any reason and I have only been inside for injuries once. One time my younger sister had to get stitches on her forehead, but even then we were out of the place within four hours or so. In the end, I am still unfamiliar with it.

I'm here to visit Suzumiya Haruhi. It would seem strange that the god of this world would ever need medical care, but even she must abide by the generally accepted rules of the universe.

She had fallen down a flight of stairs. Indeed, very similar to what happened to me except that there was no one to push her down. Her condition right now is questionable.

It was during one of those "club activity days" where it was only Haruhi and me. Because we were on break from school, it was only natural of Haruhi to try to drag everyone along to do something. Everyone magically, however, had something else to do. Koizumi's family was going on a vacation, Asahina-san was busy running errands, and Nagato was simply unreachable, Haruhi said.

We went to a small shrine on top of a hill at night to stargaze again. Haruhi had brought a relatively good quality telescope with her (when I asked her how she paid for it, she said that she had listed it as an expense on the SOS Brigade's balance sheet. In short, it meant that I was going to pay for it later) and was staring far off into space, looking at the bright stars.

As for me, I had simply lay down on the hill and closed my eyes, except that each time that I fell asleep Haruhi kicked me awake before bringing a telescope before my eyes and asking me to examine a star to see if there were any life forms on it.

Eventually I roused me from my rest, and this time it was not a light kick to my gut but instead some sort of soft disturbance, perhaps a cool breeze. I looked down and realized that Haruhi had decided to fall asleep. Of course, this wasn't the first time that she's done something like this to me. When we all went stargazing together as a club, both she and Asahina-san fell asleep.

This time, though, she had quite literally fallen asleep on me. She must not have noticed that I had awoken to find myself in the most dangerous of predicaments. What to do? Waking her would be like waking a sleeping giant, yet if I remained still, who knows how late we would be out here. Would we still be here when the sun rose? It was one of those situations where no solution was best.

How had I even gotten into this situation? I know that there was a slight tinge of red on my cheeks. I suppose it was inevitable, as Haruhi and I rarely share this kind of physical contact. I say rarely because there was that one time in our dreams, but that is best saved for another day.

I don't know when it started to happen, but I found myself staring off into her face. She had placed her head on top of my chest and was lying on her side. She looked peaceful now that her face was devoid of its normal stares and glares. One could even compare her to a resting baby. Her body rose up and fell down with each breath she took. For a moment, I truly wondered if this resting body was a god instead of a normal girl.

But because I was somewhere in my thoughts, I did not notice that Haruhi had awoken. I did not notice until she had let out a short, surprised yell and retreated away from my body. Being caught off guard, of course, I also let out a short yell of my own. Our cheeks were flushed.

"What are you doing?" she sounded surprised.

"I was looking at the stars!" Outright lie, yes, but what were _you_ doing? Weren't you the one who fell asleep on me?

"Oh, look at the time!" she didn't even pay heed to my answer. "We have to get back!"

There was a wide flight of stairs that led up to the top of the small hill we were on. Haruhi quickly rushed over.

"Damn it, Kyon! Why didn't you wake me up?"

Wake you up? "You fell asleep on top of me in the first place!"

Her face grew brighter. "Shut up! If it wasn't for you falling asleep so many times, then-" She paused for a moment before letting out an annoyed yell and kicked a small pebble down the stairs. She realized that she was to blame but refused to accept it.

"This was unnecessary contact! I swear, that one is going to cost-"

And this was where the story began to go downhill. Literally.

Perhaps Haruhi was not looking at where she was stepping in her throes of rage, but she lost her footing and was now beginning to tumble down the stairs. I rushed over and first looked at where I was stepping before hurriedly making my way down. I didn't see the whole thing but when I got there she was almost at the bottom of the stairs. It had all happened so quickly. I remember seeing her going sideways at that time, but towards the very end something happened and she was tumbling backwards.

"Haruhi!" The call was in vain for all I know, as nothing could replace that dull sound of the back of her head hitting the pavement. I carefully made my way down the stairs and knelt down over her body, frantic.

"Look Kyon…" at least there was some sort of response. She slowly raised her hand to point at the sky, despite how we were under a canopy of tree leaves. "…Stars… so many of them…"

When I look back, I highly doubt that she actually saw stars for she quickly passed out afterwards. It must have been the strange lights that one sees when he or she rubs her eyes for a little too long or, in this case, hits one's head a little too hard.

This eventually brings the two of us back to the thing about being where I am. I called the hospital on my cell phone and managed to get an ambulance on its way. The time between the call and the actual arrival was harrowing. I do not know whether it was a trick of the light or not, but it appeared that some blood was trickling from the back of her head. I had heard stories of people who became mentally disabled after accidents such as these and they began to haunt me.

What if, after all this, she wasn't alright? And even going beyond personality, what would happen to the world? She was unconscious, yes, but who knew what would happen once she woke up.

When it arrived, the paramedics quickly put her onto a stretcher and moved her into the vehicle. I insisted that I get on with them and strangely enough they complied with me. When I did, however, I could clearly see her blood on the pillow and grimaced.

Finally, we reached the hospital. I was asked to take a seat in the waiting room while she was whisked off into a care unit. It was an hour before a doctor appeared to fill me in on the situation.

Thankfully, the woman brought good news. I don't know what they did or how they did it, but she said that Haruhi was now in good condition. She was still unconscious but not in any immediate danger of anything, giving me a breath of relief.

And then I was given a phone. Because Haruhi was a minor, by law they had to contact her parents. Taking it from her hand, I cautiously spoke into it.

"Hello?"

There was a short pause before a response. "Who are you?"

What a wonderful way to start a conversation with people one has never met. It must have been the father, judging by the sound of the voice. I could overhear him talking to someone and saying how the hospital would let him speak with a friend, not a boy. Ignoring the comment, I dutifully gave them my name. This was followed by more speaking to the unknown person, except it was obviously an angered tone.

Apparently there was an exchange in the receiver, as the other voice was now that of a woman. "I'm sorry about my husband; I suppose that he's too shocked by the news." This meant that I was now talking to Haruhi's mother. "Thank you for being there when the accident happened."

I don't think I had a choice in whether I could have gone or not, but I will take the compliment.

"Normally, we would be heading over the hospital right now, but my husband and I are both on a business trip overseas. We won't be back for at least two weeks, and I believe we may be here for even longer, so I'm going to have to ask you to watch over our daughter for us." There was an enraged exclamation, which I guess was from the father. "We don't really have an option; our daughter always had difficulty making friends."

There was nothing I could do except comply. This is why I am at the hospital now. In no way did the father approve of such a thing, but the mother managed to get him to agree on it. Before the conversation ended, however, he made sure to threaten me with death if I touched his daughter in any indecent manner. I told him that I had no intention to, and that I had to get ready for school, as well as prepare myself to explain to the teacher why Haruhi was absent.

I'm still in my uniform; as soon as I got home, I loaded up on some snacks and homework material before coming to the hospital. I suppose that I'll be here until visiting hours are over, so I don't want to be hungry while I'm on watch. As per custom when Haruhi was absent, I put up a sign that told the others that it was a self-activity day.

When I enter the room, the first thing I look towards is Haruhi. She's got some bandages going around her forehead, but the lower part of her head is uncovered and she's in a hospital gown. The doctor said that they will need to remove them to apply some medicine to help the healing and then put fresh bandages on. Since it's on her head, they have to be careful to not jostle it too much and also to be mindful of the hair; too much of it caught inside could lead to an infection.

Haruhi still hasn't woken up yet. As I sit in the room, I use a nearby desk to do my homework. Every now and then I glance over at her to make sure that she's okay. Of course, such glances really do nothing. Her status probably would not change soon. The doctor said that she had hit her head very hard against the pavement; it was a miracle that she suffered only a concussion. However, they were unsure of when she would awake. They've said that if it continued for too long, she would be diagnosed as being comatose.

She is currently on life support. She has an IV needle in her left arm and a breathing mask over her mouth. A heart monitor is set up in the corner, giving off a constant beep confirming that she is still alive. I hate to say this, but considering her usual liveliness she looks pitiful in this state. With all the medical equipment on her, she's someone I almost cannot recognize. At the very least, she looks peaceful, maybe even content.

There's a knock on the door. "Come in."

The door opens and two nurses enter. "We are going to change the bandages now," one of them says. "Please excuse us, but we must ask you to leave for the time being. It should take no more than a few minutes."

Understanding, I nod my head and leave, leaning against the wall across from the door. I had talked to the others about the situation, but neither knew how to improve it.

"Suzumiya-san's sudden lapse into the unconscious has left us Espers with an uneasy rest." Of course, Koizumi displayed an obvious sense of worry. As one of her informal yes-men, he would not know what to do if Haruhi did not wake up. "Many have said that the unconscious state is almost like a dream world. One lives in a continous dream until they awaken, either from outside disturbances or something else."

"Celestials have yet to appear because Haruhi's true mood is kept within her dreams; only when she is physically moody do the giants appear. In her dreams, anything can become possible and I believe that she is having one of the best times of her life."

"So no major developments have occurred?"

"No."

Of course, Koizumi was of no help to me, but at least I knew that the world was not headed toward ruin yet.

"Kyon-kun, if Suzumiya-san does not wake up, then all work I've done with both the future and present me, will have been for nothing…" She did, however, ask me to do what I could for Haruhi. "Kyon-kun, you have to watch over Suzumiya-san and make sure that she wakes up." At least Asahina-san was worried for her tormenter, but she was asking a lot from me considering that I don't even know if I can create some sort of contact with Haruhi.

"Technically, if you came from the future, wouldn't that mean that Haruhi awakens from this situation?"

"That… That would be true, but it is also important to remember that Haruhi has the ability to change the future at a whim."

So in the end, all my work could be for naught? Wonderful. And then, of course, there was Nagato's input.

"We cannot extract data from Suzumiya Haruhi while she is in her current state. We cannot see what is going on in her internal thoughts." She flipped the page of the book she was reading. "We can only record what she does under certain conditions. This is not one of the conditions where we can monitor her." This was one of the few times where Nagato and I had a somewhat longer-than-normal conversation.

She looked up and set her piercing gaze at me. "Remember, Suzumiya Haruhi is the key to evolution. As the key holder, you must bring her back. Otherwise, what we have gained will all be lost."

In all honesty, the last statement seemed like a warning.

"What if I don't?"

"Then the world may be wiped out from existence. The ability of auto-evolution will be lost, and you will be held responsible by the Data Thought Entity for failing to awaken her. However, your body may no longer exist, as well as mine or the Data Thought Entity."

I feel that there is a trend of becoming unhappy after talking to Nagato. Perhaps I should stop talking to her.

The door opens and the nurses let me in again. Taking a short bow, they leave me to watch over Haruhi once more. Perhaps this is just me, but she looks no different than before the bandage change; it still isn't the Haruhi I know.

The rest of the visiting hours I spend in silence, doing my homework. I look forward to sleeping tonight – I've had very little of it in the past forty-some hours.

---

Life suddenly seems quiet after Haruhi was admitted into the hospital. There are no club activities, and I doubt that any of the group members stay behind except Nagato. She is probably reading some sort of book that would not hold my attention for more than a minute.

After the hospital visit yesterday, I decided to give a call to Haruhi's parents. I don't think they told me where exactly they were, but when I called them they said it was early in the afternoon.

"Has something happened?" the mother was on the other end of the line.

"No, not yet."

"Oh thank goodness, I was worried that something bad happened to our daughter."

"She is still unconscious. All I know is that if she doesn't wake up soon, she may be declared as being under a comatose state."

"That's terrible! She's so young!"

There were some voices, I think it was the mother and father discussing the situation. "Um, excuse me, but I would like to ask a question."

"What would you like to know?"

"…In our last conversation, you said that Haruhi had trouble making friends. Has this always been the case?" I had been wondering why no one else besides me has been visiting her. I know this because I head there the very moment that school lets out and I have yet to encounter another person.

There was a sigh on the other end. "Sadly yes, she was a shy girl to begin with and she was often afraid to talk to her classmates." Shy? "However, something happened to her personality in her middle school years, equivalent to a blooming flower, except that she over-bloomed. Now many people seem to be wary of her over-eccentric nature."

"So… that would make me-"

"Yes, you are most likely her very first close friend."

After that, the phone conversation was at its end. There was little left to discuss and we both hung up. As I thought upon what the mother had meant, I found myself seeing how she could push people away with her over-eccentricity; I was under the impression that she was over-charismatic, which could lead to some negative consequences. In this situation, however, all consequences were negative. I wonder if Haruhi's parents were introduced to the rest of the club members, but I highly doubt it.

I'm at the hospital again. I do the same routine as yesterday; go home, get snacks, come here. I could get used to it, I guess. It's a lot less stressful than what Haruhi normally would have me do. I wonder how she would feel if she knew that I was here next to her. I know that she did the same for me when I was 'unconscious', but she considered it as an obligation as the club leader.

I enter the room again, and it's the same as yesterday. Haruhi is still hooked up to the machines, and it doesn't look like she's moved an inch. I asked the doctor earlier about her condition.

"She is still unconscious, obviously."

I have observed at least that much. Please tell me more about what might happen, not what is happening right now.

"She still has a long way to go before being declared as a comatose patient. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, as I doubt that anything serious will happen."

Sadly, that is a gross understatement. And my use of "gross" is an understatement as well.

"What you can do is try to talk to her. We've run some stimuli tests and so far she's proven responsive. However, what we're doing isn't enough to pull her out. There are some cases where voices from a friend or family member are able to awaken the patient."

I honestly didn't know what to say to that. True, it was definitely worth trying, for all I knew. But would she actually listen to me? I would be like a blind man trying to find his way through a street he's never gone down before.

As I sit in the room, I just stare at her. She still has bandages on her head, and I don't know when they can stop putting them on. Most cuts get better with medicine within three days, but Haruhi's must have one giant cut or something, considering how hard she fell.

That doctor's notion about speaking to her still lingers in my head. I feel awkward talking to someone that I know won't be able to respond. However, the warnings of the rest of the club members are still on my mind as well. I know that I've got to do something, but the doctor's idea is almost too crazy to work. Maybe there is another way to deal with this problem?

I cast my gaze over onto her resting body. It would be easy to do. All I have to do is just throw aside my pride and just talk. But that's harder than it sounds. The idea that someone would just walk in and interrupt me is humiliatingly discouraging. And what would I talk about anyway? What do you tell a person who is stuck sleeping? That they need to wake up because otherwise they're going to fail their classes? I am not made out for this heroic junk.

Although, if I'm right, there is a saying that heroes are just ordinary people who are called to do extraordinary things, which is something Haruhi would probably say.

Perhaps her ideals have begun to latch on to me.

Before long, I find myself opening my mouth to say something. Somehow, I gather enough courage to follow through on the doctor's plan. It is a combination of both the pressure from the club and perhaps my own want for her to awaken so that I could stop spending time in this hospital. However, there is an interruption.

"Excuse me, but we're going to replace the bandages now. We must ask you to leave the room again."

Whatever courage I built up is now released in the general direction of the window. I curtly nod and leave the room. This is exactly what I was afraid of: someone walking in when I'm talking to some person that isn't even able to respond. I feel like an idiot, and last time I checked I don't like feeling like an idiot.

When they let me back in, I gather my belongings and leave; there is no possibility that I would dare try again to speak to Haruhi in her state, not today at least.

---

It's day three now. The homeroom teacher will no longer take my word that she is sick, saying that it is policy that they need a doctor's note to prove that she is ill. School, as well as the after school activities, is the same as it has been for the past two days.

It's not long before I find myself walking back to the hospital. I didn't call her parents again; there's just nothing to talk about. Haruhi's condition has yet to change and there isn't much else that I would like to know about her either. By the time I enter the facility, I'm practically on auto-pilot. I take the elevator to her floor, go to her room, and start doing my homework.

There's really nothing much going on here, but there is that nagging worry in my mind that Haruhi's condition, because it's Haruhi, will potentially worsen. She has always wanted extravagant things that leave the realms of boring to happen to her. In the end that is usually bad for the rest of us, but now the tables feel like they're going to turn. She will most likely enter a comatose state.

It's about time that those two nurses enter the room to change Haruhi's bandages. Looking up at the door, I see their silhouettes right outside and one of them knocks. I get up and open the door. "We're here to change the bandages now."

"I know." I step outside and close the door on the way out. For a while I wanted to know just how they did it. Did they turn her over and start from the back? Did one have to carefully hold her head while the other redressed the wound? I understand that, because it is a head wound, they have to be careful not to jostle it around too much.

Suddenly, there is a loud beep.

At first, I dismiss it as the heart monitor giving off its normal sound. However, I hear it again. This time, there are voices coming from inside the room.

It's something about Haruhi's heart rate becoming faster and faster. That beep is starting to continually go off now, and the nurses begin to act. I overhear one of them calling a doctor as well as other nursing staff to the room. The other… I don't know what the other is doing, but there is the sound of wheels rolling.

The doctor that I had a chat with the other day appears from my left and rushes into the room. She's followed by some more nurses as well as an additional doctor that I don't recognize. One of them orders the nurses to take her blood pressure. Another is told to get some blood ready in case a transfusion is necessary.

When the nurse runs out the doorway, I find myself following after him. "What's going on?" I yell. Am I panicking?

"We don't know yet." We keep running.

I need to know what's happening to her! "What do you mean, you don't know?"

"The doctors are still assessing the situation." He looks over at me for a moment. "You need to stay out of the way." He turns away again.

"But will she be okay?" I find myself entirely useless in this situation, and I greatly dislike it.

"Look!" He stops running, turns around, and grabs a hold of my shoulders. "You need to understand that you have to stay out of the way to help ensure your friend's survival. Unless you want to interfere and be responsible for her death, then you have to take a seat somewhere and let us take care of her."

He takes off again, except that this time I'm not with him. I stop and take a breath before taking a seat against a wall. I bury my head in my hands.

There is this complex within adolescent males in which they feel that they must make themselves useful in certain situations. When they aren't being useful, they begin to feel insecure.

I have to say that I'm feeling rather insecure myself right now. I feel like I have failed the entire world in helping to secure its fate by letting Haruhi begin to slip into death. In a few seconds, the world could be over. We would all cease to exist, and all the significant things that we as humans created will disappear with us. We'd be like a lost civilization, except that we're not leaving a single trace behind.

…

Some time has passes. I don't know how long, but it definitely passes, as I end up sitting in front of a clock and watch the second hand continue to tick. That means that, at the very least, the world isn't over just yet.

Getting up, I return to the room. I need to know what's happening. When I get there, the commotion has appeared to have died down. The door is open, and I look in. The doctor that I recognize is looking at her watch and her mouth moves.

"Suzumiya Haruhi. Time of death, Five forty-"

Something happens inside me and I quickly enter the room. "She can't be dead!" I must have thought out loud.

"What in the- Boy, what are you doing here?" she's surprised to see me. "Nurse, get him out of here!"

"No no no, she can't be dead! She's-" I'm trying to get into the room, to see her before she's truly dead. The nurses, however, are starting to push me away.

"Out, now!"

"She can't die! There are too many people that need her! She's got to come back!"

"The world is not going to end if she dies. You just have to take some time to move on and find a new love interest."

"That's not the point!"

"I don't care what the point is, boy. Just get out of here!"

One of the nurses manages to roughly push me from the room. I think it is the same one that talked to me before. As soon as I'm out of the room, he closes the door. I know that banging on the door won't do any good. It's not long before I find myself against the wall again. My legs give away and I slide down to the ground.

My mind is telling me that she's gone now and I begin to think back to what the other three told me about awakening her. I've failed all three of them. I've also failed her parents, who have spent the long years prior watching over her.

I think back to what the mother said about Haruhi, and how she had almost no friends for a long portion of her life. If this is really the end, if this is where Haruhi's story stops, then she has lived a long, lonely life with me as her only friend.

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, and maybe it's because she's gone now, but I start to think a little harder about the situation. I think I can say that none of other three members were what I could truly call her friend. Maybe just acquaintances, but I don't think I could consider them friends. Koizumi was more of a supervisor, using my interactions with Haruhi as a method of controlling her. He just needed her to be happy. I wouldn't be surprised if he was all just an act, putting on that smile only in our presence. Even if he himself said that he would support Haruhi, he could still harbor ill feelings towards her; it would be his faction's position that would hold him back from going against us.

Asahina-san needed Haruhi in order to obtain the way back to the past. In a sense Haruhi was an obstacle for her to overcome to reach the prize. She was just another objective for her time travel agency or whatever to complete. I don't want to say that Asahina-san is mean or dishonest, but I feel that she would follow whatever orders came from her agency, even if it was to sever all ties immediately and become our enemy. Nagato is almost no different either. She's working for an agency that needs something from Haruhi. Upon getting it, I feel that they would also abandon her. And they both know that they need me to get what they want. I begin to feel that the both of them are more manipulative than they have let on. Hopefully they are just very unlikely speculations, but unlikely things have a tendency to happen unlikely.

I do not think that any of those three could say that they really cared for her. They just tagged along for the ride. Call me pessimistic, but I have the feeling that neither of the three really enjoyed her presence in any way.

Back when Haruhi was still trying to find a club, she wasn't just looking for a club that would interest her, but rather people that held the same interests and would ultimately be able to connect with them. She found nothing enjoyable about them because she didn't stay. In the end, probably due to such varying degrees of interest, Haruhi left. Because of her attitude about 'interesting persons', many ended up avoiding her. And when there was nothing left, she made her own club.

Her club was meant to draw aliens, time travelers, sliders, and espers so they could 'have fun together'. In the end, it drew vultures. Koizumi told me that they were there because Haruhi wished for their existence. However, I do not quite think that she is able to control their intentions. I know that Haruhi can create events and maybe even things unheard of, but even she must abide by some rules. It is possible that her inability to perceive and recreate human motives is a parallel of this limitation.

I'm not sure where I fall into all this. I was dragged into the creation of the club, as well as to its many other activities. I know that I had some sort of interest in aliens, time travelers, espers, and the like at one time in my life, and maybe that was why I chose to talk to her on that day. In the end, I'm just a normal human being. I can't really provide her with anything special except… well…

Except being there.

There is a light tap on my shoulder. Who dares disturb a man distraught with loss?

"Hey there, sorry about being so rough with you that time. Part of being a nurse is controlling friends and family in such situations." It was that nurse again and he's eye level with me. "Are you doing alright?"

"…" I turn my head away. I don't really want to talk to him. Why hasn't the world ended yet? Granted, I wouldn't know when it ended as my thoughts would cease to exist, as well as anything that would give me the idea that I am alive. The anthropic theory, the idea of things coming into existence upon recognition and discovery of it, except this time it would work backwards.

"Feeling kind of down I guess?"

The adjective down is like a mere drop compared to my ocean of depression.

"Well, we've got some good news for you. Your girlfriend's alive."

"…" It takes me a moment to register what he said. And even then, I think it only went half way. "Excuse me?"

"Well, your girl pulled a surprise return from the dead."

By now, my mind was starting to ignore the man. Haruhi? Alive? All that I could think of now was that I had a second chance, one that I was not going to waste. I hurriedly get up and enter the room, slamming the door open.

Everyone had already left, save the doctor, who is writing on a clipboard. When did she come back again? "Ah, I see that you've returned."

"Is she really… is she really alive?" I struggle to say this. My eyes are glued to Haruhi and I'm watching her chest rise as she takes in breaths. The heart monitor is sounding again.

"For about a minute, she was technically considered dead. We were getting the paperwork ready to record her death but then her heart monitor starting beeping again. Afterwards, we were able to stabilize her condition. She still has yet to become conscious again, but we believe that it will be some time soon."

"That's good to know." I feel a thousand pounds lighter.

"It's quite the miracle. Your girlfriend is very lucky to be alive. A very extraordinary situation, should I say."

"… She always wanted to live to be extraordinary."

The doctor smiles and finishes writing on her clipboard. "Well, I'll leave you two alone now. Technically visiting hours are almost over, but I'm sure we can make an exception for this case. If anything happens, call for a nurse and we will be able to take care of the rest."

I thank the woman and take a seat next to Haruhi once she leaves. What she said about talking to unconscious people returns to my mind.

It might be silly, but I don't intend to lose the chance I'm now given. Very slowly and softly, I pick up the hand that's nearest to me with both of mine and start thinking of something to say.

"Hi Haruhi, I'm not sure if you can hear me or not, but I think that will be okay in the end." I find myself sort of rubbing her hand as if it was a magic lamp and Haruhi would return to the outside world if I rub it long enough.

"I was able to get in contact with your parents, and they asked me to watch over you." I don't feel so silly anymore.

"You scared me when you died. I don't know how to describe it, but it was like… the world would have ended. A bit like that, you know." Of course Haruhi wouldn't know, but maybe one day she might. "So that's why you have to come back. Come back to your family, your friends. We're waiting for you."

"Besides, if you don't, your dad wouldn't be too happy. So come back soon, alright?"

I'm not sure what to say after that. I feel like anything else would be overdoing it. I sit there just watching her and holding her hand. She doesn't appear to be getting better. I don't think I should try a sleeping beauty routine and kiss her, as she would say that it would be taking advantage of the situation.

But to do so would be rather cliché. I believe that Haruhi is one who enjoys clichés in real life. I'm not, however, about to let my first real kiss go to someone who's not even conscious. Making sure that the door is closed, I lean in next to her. Taking a deep breath, I take aim and blow on her ear. It's a soft, warm breath, not a harsh one.

She gives off a groan. Taking a look at her face, her eyebrows angle in a bit, as if angered by the disturbance. And then slowly, her eyes open.

"Welcome back, Haruhi."

She focuses on me. At first, I don't know if she's seeing me at all, but very slowly I see in her face that she recognizes me before slowly smiling. It feels like the world is spinning again.

---

I called the doctors to tell them that Haruhi had awakened. I was asked to leave the room and would have left, but Haruhi was tightly holding onto my hand. I tried to talk her into letting go, but she adamantly refused, shaking her head. It was decided by the doctors that they would allow me to stay so long as I was not disruptive, considering my previous actions. In the end, Haruhi did not let go of my hand until the test was over and I had to leave. I disliked having to let go, and I had a feeling that Haruhi felt the same way.

Returning to my thoughts before, in hindsight it seems almost out of character for me to think like that. I believe that to blame the other club members of being heartless was probably taking things out of proportion. It has, however, made me aware that while they may not be manipulative or evil, they still have their own individual motives. It's possible that one day they may just get up and leave the both of us here, but I prefer to believe that when they do leave it wouldn't be such a sudden thing. Perhaps I'm just being naïve about it, but all people are given the choice to hope and believe.

I then realize that her parents still have to know. I contacted her parents to tell them the good news after I left the hospital. Originally, it was the father that answered. But after I told him the good news about his daughter awaking, he had broken down into relieved sobs. Eventually he was unable to speak afterwards and the mother took over.

"It's a real relief for the both of us." She sniveled a little bit, but managed to continue. "What did the doctors do to bring her back? It's hard to believe that our daughter truly was dead for a moment."

"The doctors still don't know how it had happened, but most decided that they shouldn't question the good fortune. I think they are just thankful that Haruhi didn't die. I think everyone is."

"Oh, I was hoping for some epic story, but I suppose that will be alright. How long will it be before she fully recovers?"

"They say that it will probably take about a week for her to be healthy enough to leave the hospital, and probably another week after that to fully recover."

"Oh, I do not think that we will be back by then."

I have a feeling that I know what she's going to ask.

"Do you think that you could watch over her until we return?"

There is a sudden cry of rage from the father. I can overhear him, saying how it was so risky to have such a shadowy boy that they've never met take care of their daughter. It would appear that his cries of joy have become yells of rage.

"Hey, boy!" it's the father talking to me now. "I might not be able to have a say in this, but don't you even think about touching our daughter! You're going to take full responsibility for anything and everything that happens from here on. And if you ruin her for marriage, may God have mercy on you because you won't be getting any from me!"

It's tempting to give him a cheeky remark, but I know better. In the end, I comfortably agree to take care of Haruhi. It might be difficult in the beginning. I know, however, that it will be worth it because even if the world abandons her, I will still be there with her full confidence and trust in me. After all, what can be better than being the friend of a god?

* * *

I definitely stuck my neck out on this one. Most Haruhi stories tend to focus a lot on the interaction between Kyon and Haruhi. However, there is only minimal interaction at most between the two at the beginning and the end. Also, the general tone of this story is a teensy bit dark when compared to what I normally do in regards to this series, as I kind of take a peak at the darksides of the rest of the SOS Dan. Another thing I did with this story was kind of give a possible characterization to Haruhi's parents, which we never see in the anime (I'm not so sure about the books as I haven't been able to keep up with them).

Now then, I have some news for the readers of my Naruto fics: Product Shinobi has sadly seen very little time from me, but I don't really want to drop the story. I don't have the plot fully mapped out yet and all, but I know that I want to make it intricate as I don't think I've really made a story plot that is very detailed or intricate. So don't be afraid of that one dropping off the radar just yet.

However, I have some bad news about Uchiha Crest. The way the plotline works out is fine and all, but I just really, really dislike how I made Naruto just so powerful. His character has nowhere to go; there's no build-up. I also feel like I should have simply stuck to Tenten's normal abilities, not make her so adept at using a pool stick. Not so sure about what I was thinking then. I don't like to drop stories, so I don't think I'll drop that one just yet. However, it has seen very little work from me in the past years and even then I feel like I want to rewrite some portions of it. If I decide to just go with it and try to work around some things, then hopefully we can see a new chapter for it.

Until next time.


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